Chapter 1575
As soon as Winona saw the word ‘dress,’ blood rushed to her face. She was mortified, the memory of him ripping it to shreds still fresh. [I don’t want it. Just throw it out!] she typed back angrily. Keaton wasn’t surprised. He immediately texted, [I’ll buy you a new one.] Winona shot back, [No need!] Before Keaton could reply, Winona added, [I’m busy right now, gotta go.] Keaton quickly typed, [And your phone. I accidentally dropped it last night. I already ordered you a new one. I’ll give it to you when it arrives.] Winona paused, checking her phone. Sure enough, she found a small scratch on the casing. She didn’t know how Keaton had dropped it, but she still replied, [It’s fine, it still works.] Before he could respond, she sent another message. [Busy.] After sending the text, she switched her phone off and boarded the plane…. Back at Number One Mansion, Tarquin asked Elysia as she hung up the phone, “Did you get ahold of Winona?” “Yeah, her phone died. It scared me to death, I thought something had happened to her.” Tarquin said, “Keaton’s in Jindale City looking after her. He won’t let anything happen.” Elysia sighed. “Knowing Keaton… I can’t tell if it’s a blessing or a curse for Winona.” She changed the subject. “By the way, have you heard from Elliot and Evan? School starts tomorrow. When are they coming back? I have to call the teacher and ask for time off.” Tarquin continued his lie. “I heard from them. It’ll be at least another week before they’re back.” There was a comms outpost in the mountains, so it was possible to contact the outside world. If Elliot had arrived, he would have definitely called to report that they were safe. Since he hadn’t, it meant they either hadn’t arrived yet or hadn’t had a chance to get to the station. So it would be at least another week, considering the hike down alone took several days. Elysia frowned, still worried. “They’ve been gone for so long. What really happened to my grandpa?” Tarquin ruffled her hair soothingly. “It’s nothing serious. He was just feeling down. Elliot and Evan are with him, so don’t worry. For now, just ask the teacher for a week’s leave of absence.” Elysia didn’t press further. “Okay.”… At that moment, Elliot and Evan were nearing the mountain compound. Evan wondered aloud, “We’re almost home. Why hasn’t Great-Grandpa Bernard come out to meet us?” Elliot walked on, a growing unease in his heart. They had entered the monitored zone yesterday. Normally, their great-grandparents would have spotted them by then and come to find them. But so far, they were nowhere to be seen. They were now at most a half-hour’s walk from the cabin, deep in the core area, yet it was still eerily quiet. There was no sign of their great-grandparents. Elliot couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. “Evan, you and White go scout ahead. Be cautious. If you see anything unusual, don’t do anything rash. Come back and get us immediately.” “Got it!” Evan said, then looked at the man with the scarred face. “You watch over my brother for me.” The scarred man knew how capable Evan and White were, so he nodded confidently. “Go on.” Evan and White sprinted ahead, disappearing from sight in an instant. The scarred man stared in the direction they had gone, his own brow furrowed with worry. He felt it, too. Something wasn’t right. Putting everyone else aside, he knew Bernard’s personality. If Bernard knew they were here, he would have been ecstatic and come running to meet them. But he hadn’t. This was not normal. And when things weren’t normal, it usually meant trouble.